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道Nihongo Path
紛

紛·be confused with, get mixed in, go astray

On-yomi
フン
Kun-yomi
まぎ(れる)まぎ(らわしい)まぎ(らす)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
紛争ふんそうdispute, conflict
紛失ふんしつloss (of an item)
紛らわしいまぎらわしいconfusingly similar
紛れるまぎれるto get mixed in, to be diverted

Example sentences

  1. この二つの名前は紛らわしい。

    このふたつのなまえはまぎらわしい。

    These two names are confusingly similar.

  2. 大事な書類を紛失してしまった。

    だいじなしょるいをふんしつしてしまった。

    I have lost an important document.

  3. 犯人は人込みに紛れて逃げた。

    はんにんはひとごみにまぎれてにげた。

    The culprit slipped into the crowd and escaped.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 紛失 as ふんしち — it is ふんしつ
  • 紛失する is used of losing an object; for missing a train use 乗り遅れる

Memory aid

Picture it

糸 (thread) beside 分 (divide): threads split apart and mixed together again — you can no longer tell which is which.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 紛 mean?